Command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs!

cURL

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cURL

  -  6.3 MB  -  Freeware
Free Download

Security Status

  • Latest Version

    cURL 8.12.1 LATEST

  • Review by

    Daniel Leblanc

  • Operating System

    Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10 / Windows 11

  • User Rating

    Click to vote

  • Author / Product

    Daniel Stenberg / External Link

  • Filename

    curl-8.12.1.zip

cURL (Client URL) is a command-line tool and library designed for transferring data using various network protocols.

Originally developed by Daniel Stenberg, it has become an essential tool for developers, system administrators, and security professionals.

cURL for Windows supports multiple protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, SCP, SFTP, LDAP, and many more.

It is widely used for automating data transfer tasks, testing APIs, and debugging network issues.

Key Features

Multi-Protocol Support – Supports HTTP, FTP, IMAP, SMTP, LDAP, and many other protocols.

Secure Data Transfer – Provides support for TLS and SSL encryption.

User Authentication – Supports basic, digest, NTLM, Negotiate, and Kerberos authentication.

Proxy Support – Works with HTTP, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 proxies.

Automated Scripting – Ideal for batch processing and scripting.

Cookie and Session Management – Supports handling cookies and maintaining sessions.

Header and Data Manipulation – Allows setting custom headers and sending POST, GET, and other HTTP methods.

Resume and Bandwidth Control – Supports resuming interrupted downloads and controlling bandwidth usage.

Cross-Platform Availability – Works on Windows, Linux, macOS, and many other operating systems.

Open-Source – Free to use and modify under the MIT license.

User Interface

cURL does not have a graphical user interface (GUI); it operates exclusively via the command-line interface (CLI).

Users interact with cURL by typing commands in the terminal or command prompt.

While this may seem complex for beginners, it is incredibly powerful and flexible for experienced users.

Installation and Setup

Download – Visit the official website or FileHorse.com and download the latest Windows binary.

Extract Files – Unzip the downloaded file to a directory of your choice.

Set Environment Variables – Add the cURL directory to the Windows PATH variable to run it from any command prompt.

Verify Installation – Open the command prompt and run curl --version to check if it is installed correctly.

How to Use

Basic Web Request:

curl https://www.example.com

Download a File:

curl -O https://www.example.com/file.zip

Send POST Request with Data:

curl -X POST -d "param1=value1&param2=value2" https://api.example.com

Use Authentication:

curl -u username:password https://api.example.com

Use Proxy:

curl -x http://proxy.example.com:8080 https://www.example.com

FAQ

Is cURL free to use?
Yes, cURL is open-source and completely free under the MIT license.

Can cURL handle JSON data?
Yes, it can send and receive JSON data using headers and data payloads.

How do I check if cURL is installed on Windows?
Run curl --version in the command prompt to verify installation.

Does cURL support file uploads?
Yes, using -F or --upload-file options, you can upload files to a server.

Can cURL resume downloads?
Yes, use the -C - option to resume a previously interrupted download.

Alternatives

Postman – GUI tool for testing APIs and HTTP requests.

Wget – Another command-line tool focused on downloading files.

HTTPie – A user-friendly command-line HTTP client.

ARIA2 – A lightweight, multi-threaded download utility.

PowerShell Invoke-WebRequest – Built-in Windows command for making web requests.

Pricing

This tool is completely FREE and open-source. There are no paid plans or licenses required.

System Requirements
  • Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10, 11
  • Processor: Any x86 or x64 processor
  • RAM: Minimum 512MB (1GB recommended)
  • Storage: Less than 10MB for installation
  • Network: Required for most functionalities
PROS
  • Supports a wide range of protocols.
  • Free and open-source.
  • Lightweight with minimal system requirements.
  • Powerful for automation and scripting.
  • Available across multiple platforms.
CONS
  • No graphical user interface.
  • Requires knowledge of command-line syntax.
  • Limited built-in documentation.
  • Can be complex for beginners.
Conclusion

cURL is a powerful and indispensable tool for developers, system administrators, and security professionals. With its extensive protocol support, automation capabilities, and lightweight footprint, it stands out as one of the best command-line utilities for data transfer.

Download cURL Latest Version

What's new in this version:

Fixed:
- all: remove FIXME and TODO comments
- asyn-thread: fix build with `CURL_DISABLE_SOCKETPAIR`
- asyn-thread: fix HTTPS RR crash
- asyn-thread: fix the returned bitmask from Curl_resolver_getsock
- asyn-thread: survive a c-ares channel set to NULL
- build: add tool_hugehelp.c into IBMi build
- checksrc.pl: warn on FIXME/TODO comments
- cmake/Find: set `<Modulename>_FOUND` for compatibility when found via `pkg-config`
- cmake: add integration tests, run them in CI
- cmake: always reference OpenSSL and ZLIB via imported targets
- cmake: avoid unnecessary `-L` for implicit link dirs
- cmake: drop `LDAP_DEPRECATED=1` macro, to sync with autotools
- cmake: fix `HAVE_GETHOSTBYNAME_R_*` detections with `CURL_WERROR=ON`
- cmake: fix to detect `HAVE_OPENSSL_SRP` in MSVC UWP builds
- cmake: fix/add missing feature detections for Windows/MS-DOS
- cmake: initialize variables where missing
- cmake: lib order fixes for picky linkers (e.g. binutils `ld`)
- cmake: normalize before matching paths with syspaths
- cmake: respect `GNUTLS_CFLAGS` when detected via `pkg-config`
- cmake: respect `GNUTLS_LIBRARY_DIRS` in `libcurl.pc` and `curl-config`
- cmake: save a line with `CMAKE_C_IMPLICIT_LINK_DIRECTORIES` exclusion
- cmake: tidy up string append and list prepend syntax
- configure/cmake: check for realpath
- configure/cmake: set asyn-rr a feature only if httpsrr is enabled
- content_encoding: #error on too old zlib
- curl_global_sslset.md: Add SSL backend names
- CURLOPT_SSH_KNOWNHOSTS.md: strongly recommend using this
- CURLSHOPT_SHARE.md: adjust for the new SSL session cache
- docs: better explain multi-part byte range behavior
- docs: use valid example domain names
- generate.bat: remove curl_get_line.c from the curlx file list
- header.md: mention `Authorization:` and `Cookie:` special treatment
- imap: TLS upgrade fix
- INTERNALS: fix c-ares, as we actually support 1.6.0 or later
- ldap: drop support for legacy Novell LDAP SDK
- lib: include necessary headers for `inet_ntop`/`inet_pton`
- lib: silence LibreSSL collision warning on non-MSVC Windows
- libssh2: comparison is always true because rc <= -1
- libssh2: raise lowest supported version to 1.2.8
- libssh: drop support for libssh older than 0.9.0
- libssh: silence `-Wconversion` with a cast (Windows 32-bit)
- netrc: return code cleanup, fix missing file error
- openssl-quic: ignore ciphers for h3
- openssl: fix out of scope variables in goto
- pop3: TLS upgrade fix
- runtests: fix the disabling of the memory tracking
- runtests: quote commands to support paths with spaces
- scache: add magic checks
- smb: silence `-Warray-bounds` with gcc 13+
- smtp: TLS upgrade fix
- SPONSORS.md: clarify that we don't promise goods or services
- test1516: avoid failure due to spaces in path
- test2080: simplify, avoid the null byte
- tests: fix test 558, 1330 for MSVC, allow TrackMemory with MSVC in cmake
- tidy-up: make per-file `ARRAYSIZE` macros global as `CURL_ARRAYSIZE`
- tool_cfgable: sort struct fields by size, use bitfields for booleans
- tool_getparam: add "TLS required" flag for each such option
- tool_progress: fix percent output of large parallel transfers
- tool_ssls: switch to tool-specific get_line function
- verbose.md: mention how carriage-return might occur in headers
- vquic: make the "disable GSO" use infof, not failf
- vtls: fix multissl-init
- vtsl: eliminate 'data->state.ssl_scache'
- wakeup_write: make sure the eventfd write sends eight bytes
- wolfssl: silence compiler warning (MSVC 2019), simplify existing

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